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About 2000 women in Scotland are thought to have been fitted with Essure in the last few years, though no official figures are available.

Bayer withdrew the device in Britain last September.

Sandra added: “A couple of months after the procedure, I developed welts on my leg and my thigh.

“It was as if someone had burned me with an iron. My feet and arms had swollen up and I had to go to casualty.

“The doctor had never heard of Essure and told me that I had to go back to my gynaecologist as he thought it was an allergic reaction.”

In December 2014, Sandra decided to be sterilised so that the Essure would be removed.

After the operation, the red sores and welts disappeared overnight but the constant pain remained.

She added: “I’m still in horrific pain that is totally unexplained. I still get pains down my right leg and right side of my womb and heavy bleeding.

“What was supposed to be a quick fix has become a total nightmare.”

It is estimated that 35,000 patients have complained of side effects, with almost half of them in the US.

Sandra added: “I don’t think the devices should have been used in the first place. I don’t think the hospitals realised the side effects.

“I was expecting this simple short procedure and I would walk out fine. I should not have this constant pain four years on.”

Essure was designed as an alternative to sterilisation and involves inserting tiny coils into the fallopian tubes. A flexible metal and plastic spring irritates the lining and causes scar tissue, which permanently blocks the tube.

The sale of the Essure implants in the EU was suspended last September by Bayer.

“NHSGGC stopped using Essure in June 2017. A total of 29 patients underwent the procedure and all women were given pre-procedure analgesia.

“Less than five have since asked for the device to be removed. All women have been followed up and the majority are happy with Essure as a means of contraception.”

Government watchdogs insist Essure was properly checked before going on the market.

A Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesman said: “Before a device can be placed on the UK market, it needs to comply with the European Medical Device Directives.

“For higher risk class III devices such as the Essure implant, evidence it meets these requirements is assessed by an independent third party called a notified body before it is CE marked and placed on the market.”

A Bayer spokeswoman said: “The safety and efficacy of Essure is supported by more than a decade of science and real world clinical experience.”